Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's 2009 recruiting class includes four New Hampshire residents: quarterback Erik Hatton (Atkinson/Timberlane), defensive lineman Kyle Endyke (Litchfield/Bishop Guertin), running back Matthew Day (Claremont/Stevens) and defensive lineman Matt LaFrance (Atkinson/Central Catholic).

Three New Hampshire residents played for RPI last season: offensive lineman Matt Kelley (Nashua/Nashua North), defensive back Mike Kukesh (Exeter/Exeter) and wide receiver Patrick McCarthy (Strafford/Spaulding). All three were sophomores last season.

The St. Anselm College football staff will be offering a coaches clinic Friday at 6 p.m.

There is no cost for the clinic, which is open to all high school and youth coaches and will be held on the St. Anselm campus in the Institution of Politics Building located on Saint Anselm Drive.

Anyone with questions can contact St. Anselm defensive coordinator Rob Eggerling at (603) 656-6012 or reggerling@anselm.edu.

The clinic will feature the following speakers and topics:

6 p.m. Ted Florio (St. Anselm College OLB coach)
Cover and Run Support

6 p.m. Drew Owens (St. Anselm College offensive line coach)
Auxiliary Run Game

7 p.m. Ron Crook (Harvard offensive line coach)
Offensive Line Fundamentals

7 p.m. Kevin Doherty (Former defensive coordinator at Harvard/DB UConn)
Cover 3

8 p.m. Pat Murphy (St. Anselm head coach)
Spread Offense Zone Read

8 p.m. Rob Eggerling (St. Anselm defensive coordinator)
Stack Defense Pressure

9 p.m. Kevin Farr (St. Lawrence defensive coordinator)
Linebacker Play in Coverage

9 p.m. Sean Devine (Boston College offensive line coach)
Pass Protection

A family connection could help the University of New Hampshire football team land one of the more interesting prospects in New England. The Wildcats have plenty of competition, however.

Andrew Tallman, the brother of former Wildcats linebacker Alan Tallman, has already received offers from UNH and Virginia. Others reportedly interested include Duke, Stanford, Rutgers, Syracuse, Iowa and Boston College.

UNH, though, could face an uphill battle against Boston College, which has two ex-Wildcat coaches recruiting Tallman: former offensive coordinator Sean Devine (now the BC offensive line coach) and former defensive coordinator Mike Dawson (now a special teams assistant coach for the Eagles).

"I was at the spring game for BC. I liked it a lot," Tallman told Eagle Insider. "I liked the coaches. They are great and have a great knowledge of the game. My recruiting coaches coached my brother up at UNH, so we have a connection. Coach Dawson and Coach Devine coached my brother, he was a linebacker at UNH."

Frank Coppola
nhfootballreport.com

DURHAM -- The stars of yesteryear certainly turned out for the University of New Hampshire football team's annual Blue/White scrimmage on Saturday.

Former Wildcat heroes Ricky Santos and David Ball were joined in the crowd by Oregon coach Chip Kelly, who oversaw the record-setting Santos/Ball era during his lengthy tenure as UNH's offensive coordinator.

But as UNH showed last season, when it went 10-3 and averaged over 35 points per game, the high-scoring days in Durham are far from over. Even without all that star power.

"We're going to look to pick up the pace and even play a little faster this year," said junior running back Sean Jellison, of Amherst. "We're a high-powered offense and we thrive on playing fast and wearing down the defense."

Jellison did his share of that on Saturday, rushing for a game-high 70 yards on 14 carries in a game that ended with a 31-21 score. The former Souhegan High School standout showed why most observers -- including UNH coach Sean McDonnell -- are expecting big things from him next season. Jellison is penciled in as the No. 2 running back on UNH's depth chart, behind only senior Chad Kackert.

"I thought Sean Jellison ran very well, he's got great vision," said McDonnell. "We tried to get him and Kackert on opposite teams, give them both a chance to run the football a little bit."

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

University of New Hampshire coach Sean McDonnell may have found some answers during Saturday's Blue/White scrimmage, but he certainly didn't find all of them.

Plenty of question marks remain on an unproven offensive line that must replace four starters from the 2008 season. Senior center Tom Neill is the only returning starter.

"Offensive line right now is still a work in progress," McDonnell said. "(Dan) Larkin, Neill and I think Jayson Elmore are three of the guys who have the upper track to start. I think we're all pretty sure Larkin and Neill are gonna start. Elmore from Day 1 to Day 15 has probably been our most consistent offensive lineman in the spring. I'm talking about effort. I'm talking about assignment. I'm talking about playing. I really like what he has done. He's up to 270 pounds right now. Hopefully he can put another five or 10 on over the summer. I think he'll be fine because the kid plays so hard.

"We have another pool of guys after that that you have to figure out. It's been really tough to evaluate Seth Price this spring because he's had torn cartilage and missed a lot early. He fought through a lot of it with some torn cartilage and played for us. I'm really pleased how he toughed it out.

"We have Chris Zarkoskie, another kid who played a lot of snaps for us this spring and got better. And then George Pecoraro. Those six guys right now are somewhere in the top numbers for who's gonna be the five starters."

Will Moher, Mickey DiLima and Josh Lane are among the other players competing for playing time on the offensive line. Moher played at Manchester West, and Lane suited up for Pinkerton Academy. DiLima (shoulder) and Lane (ankle) battled injuries during spring practice.

"A lot of these kids toughed it out and practiced an awful lot with nagging injuries, so I didn't get to see them at their full pace," McDonnell said. "We have to get them all healthy this summer."

Pressure? What pressure?

Finding a way to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks has been a priority for the UNH defense during the offseason.

The Wildcats recorded 13 sacks in 13 games last season, and finished tied for ninth among Colonial Athletic Association teams in that category. Richmond led the league in sacks with 36 in 16 games. 

"We had 13 sacks as a defense last year and we realize that's not gonna cut it to be the best," defensive end Brian McNally said. "We're starting to feel a little bit better, but we still have a lot of work to do.

"If you can get off the ball, that's the first battle. Everything else will be easy after that. That's what we have to keep working to get better at."

McNally, who was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association's Defensive Rookie of the Year after the 2008 season, led UNH with 2 1/2 sacks last season.

Senior linebacker Sean Ware said pressure on the quarterback was what he was looking for in Saturday's scrimmage.

"I think statistically against the run and the pass last season we (fared) pretty well against that, we just didn't get as much pressure on the quarterback as we'd like to," Ware said. "I think today we handled that well.

"Defensively we have a lot of guys returning, and we're looking to build off of last season."

McDonnell reveals backup plan

R.J. Toman entered and exited spring practice as the team's starting quarterback, and Matt Welch, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound redshirt freshman, appears to have solidified his spot as the backup QB.

Welch, who played at Lowell (Mass.) High School, completed 8-of-11 pass attempt for 90 yards in Saturday's Blue/White scrimmage.

"I thought Matty Welch in the last week of practice did some really nice things," McDonnell said. "I try to judge them on how they get us in the end zone, and I thought Matty toward the middle, toward the end of spring separated himself a little bit (from) Josh Vick.

"I think Welch has a slight edge right now and that's probably how it's going to be going into camp. I was encouraged by Vick, and I like (Mike) Roberto too."

Faces in the crowd

Former UNH coach Bill Bowes, University of Oregon coach Chip Kelly, former UNH quarterback Ricky Santos and former UNH wide receiver David Ball were among those in attendance Saturday.

Starting quarterback R.J. Toman completed 7-of-9 passes for 133 yards and one touchdown - a 61-yard strike to All-America tight end Scott Sicko - to highlight the University of New Hampshire's annual Blue/White spring scrimmage Saturday afternoon at Cowell Stadium. Sicko ended the game with three receptions for 90 yards.

Dontra Peters ran for two touchdowns (1 and 4 yards) and finished the game with 45 yards on 10 carries. He split time in the backfield with Plymouth's Shawn Sweeney, who rushed for 43 yards on nine carries.

Amherst's Sean Jellison was the game's leading rusher with 70 yards on 14 carries. Chad Kackert carried five times for 18 yards and made one catch for 15 yards.

Chris Chandler finished with a game-high four receptions for 41 yards. J.T. Wright and Joey Orlando each had three catches, and Ronnie Strand hauled in a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Welch.

Welch completed 8-of-11 passes for 90 yards. He passed for one touchdown and also had a 6-yard TD run. Josh Vick was 10-of-14 for 66 yards, and Mike Roberto completed the game 7-of-13 for 48 yards.

The defense recorded three interceptions, including a 27-yard touchdown return by Matt Evans. Anthony Gorrell and John Duffey made the other INTs.

Terrence Klein and Kyle Flemings led the defense with six tackles apiece. Evans tallied five tackles and a pass breakup in addition to the interception. Brian McNally, the 2008 CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year, was credited with two sacks.

***

UNH head coach Sean McDonnell announced that Sicko, center Tom Neill and linebacker Sean Ware will serve as captain for the 2009 season. 

UNH will open the 2009 season Sept. 5 at home vs. St. Francis (Pa.). The opening kickoff is scheduled for noon.

Not so long ago, it was rare to see more than a couple in-state players on the University of New Hampshire football team's roster.

Those days, however, are gone.

When the Wildcats play their annual Blue/White scrimmage on Saturday at Cowell Stadium, they'll hit the field with 14 New Hampshire players on their roster, and that number doesn't include the five incoming freshmen from the Granite State who will join the program this fall.

Here's a quick look at the Wildcats' homegrown talent:

Name                Class     Pos.  Hometown   Last School
Kiah Colbert        Fr. (R)    FS    Goffstown    Goffstown
Sean Jellison       Jr          RB    Amherst      Souhegan
Corey Marceau    Jr            P    Stratham      Exeter
Shawn Sweeney  Fr. (R)    RB   Plymouth     Plymouth Regional
Shawn MacNevin So.        DB   Strafford       Spaulding
Rod Walker         So.        DB   Portsmouth  Portsmouth
Bryan Mayhew     Jr.         DB   Plymouth     Plymouth Regional
Andrew Drazin     Fr. (R)    LB   Hollis           Hollis-Brookline
Josh  Lane          Fr. (R)    OL   Derry           Pinkerton Academy
Will Moher          So.         OL  Bedford        Manchester West
Matt McLaughlin  Fr. (R)   WR  Newmarket   St. Thomas
Steve Young        Jr.         DT   Rochester    Spaulding
Lance Mailloux    Jr.         DE   Bedford        Manchester West
Ryan Glasgow     Jr.           P   Bedford        Manchester West

Incoming freshmen
Tyler Brnger     Fr.    DE/LB  Keene           Keene
Mike MacArthur    Fr.    P/PK    Hampton       Winnacunnet
Seamus O'Neill     Fr.    OL/DL   Manchester   Manchester Central
Sean Ryan           Fr.     OL/DL   Londonderry  Londonderry
Jim Vailas            Fr.      DE        Bedford         Kimball Union

The University of New Hampshire will hold its annual Blue/White scrimmage Saturday (12:30 p.m.) at Cowell Stadium. Admission is free.

Here are the tentative two-deep lineups for UNH's offense, defense and special teams, as it appears in the team's 2009 prospectus:

UNH OFFENSE

FL  82  J.T. Wright (Sr., 6-0, 210)
      16  Mike Greene (Jr., 6-2, 200)

LT  77 Seth Price (Sr., 6-6, 280)
      73 Will Moher (So., 6-1, 280)

LG  68 George Pecoraro (So., 6-4, 270)
      64 Josh Lane (Fr. (R), 6-2, 275)

C    65  Tom Neill (Sr., 6-4, 285)
      53 Chris Zankoski (Fr. (R), 6-2, 290)

RG  78  Dan Larkin (Jr., 6-4, 300)
       69 Isaiah Martin (Fr. (R), 6-2, 285)

RT  70  Jayson Elmore (Fr. (R), 6-3, 260)
      78  Dan Larkin (Jr. 6-4, 300)

TE  89 Scott Sicko (Sr., 6-3, 235)
      86 Chris Jeannot (So., 6-6, 230)

QB  12  R.J. Toman (Jr., 6-1, 195)
       10 Matt Welch (Fr. (R), 6-5, 210)

RB  27  Chad Kackert (Jr., 5-8, 190)
       24 Sean Jellison (Jr., 5-10, 210)

WR  22 Travis Negron (Sr., 5-10, 175)
       Mickey Mangieri (So., 5-11, 180)

SE  88 Kevon Mason (Jr., 6-4, 215)
       6  Chris Chandler (Jr., 6-2, 210)

The St. Anselm College football staff will be offering a coaches clinic on May 15 at 6 p.m.

There is no cost for the clinic, which is open to all high school and youth coaches and will be held on the St. Anselm campus in the Institution of Politics Building located on Saint Anselm Drive.

Anyone with questions can contact St. Anselm defensive coordinator Rob Eggerling at (603) 656-6012 or reggerling@anselm.edu. Those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by May 12.

The clinic will feature the following speakers and topics:

6 p.m. Ted Florio (St. Anselm College OLB coach)
Cover and Run Support

6 p.m. Drew Owens (St. Anselm College offensive line coach)
Auxiliary Run Game

7 p.m. Ron Crook (Harvard offensive line coach)
Offensive Line Fundamentals

7 p.m. Kevin Doherty (Former defensive coordinator at Harvard/DB UConn)
Cover 3

8 p.m. Pat Murphy (St. Anselm head coach)
Spread Offense Zone Read

8 p.m. Rob Eggerling (St. Anselm defensive coordinator)
Stack Defense Pressure

9 p.m. Kevin Farr (St. Lawrence defensive coordinator)
Linebacker Play in Coverage

9 p.m. Sean Devine (Boston College offensive line coach)
Pass Protection

Former University of New Hampshire offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who is in his first season as the University of Oregon's head coach, will appear on Friday's edition of "Jim Rome is Burning" on ESPN.

The program is scheduled to air at 4:30 p.m. Footage for the show was taken April 20.

Kelly is a Dover native who grew up in Manchester and played quarterback for Manchester Central High School.

By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

A year ago the University of New Hampshire football team scored at least 30 points in nine of its 13 games, led the Colonial Athletic Association in yards per game (406.9) and finished second among CAA teams in points per game (35.6).

The Wildcats return starting quarterback R.J. Toman, All-American tight end Scott Sicko and running back/kick returner Chad Kackert, who averaged a team-high 138.6 all-purpose yards per contest in 2008.

What could prevent the Wildcats from posting gaudy offensive statistics again in 2009? If there's an area of uncertainty, it's the offensive line. UNH must replace four starters from last season. The only returning starter is center Tom Neill.

The offensive line will get a test Saturday, when UNH wraps up spring practice with its annual Blue/White scrimmage at Cowell Stadium. The scrimmage is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. and admission is free.

The UNH defense returns eight starters, including all four starting defensive linemen from last season: Jordan Long, Steve Young, Brian McNally and Kevin Peters. McNally was named the CAA Defensive Rookie of Year last season, when he led all UNH defensive linemen in tackles with 55 (21 solo).

The other returning starters on defense are linebacker Sean Ware and Hugo Souza, and defensive backs Ryan Hinds and Dino Vasso.

The Wildcats have qualified for the NCAA playoffs in each of the last five seasons.

New Hampshire Football Report will have coverage of the Blue/White scrimmage Saturday and Sunday. The tentative two-deep rosters for the UNH offense, defense and special teams will be posted Friday night.

Team Information

Offensive Starters Lost (7): Josh Droesch (OL), Chris McClurg (OL), Eric Cumba (OL), Andrew Elwell (OL), Robert Simpson (RB), Terrance Fox (WR), Mike Boyle (SE).

Offensive Starters Returning (4): J.T. Wright (WR), Tom Neill (OL), Scott Sicko (TE), R.J. Toman (QB).

Defensive Starters Lost (3): Matt Parent (LB), Maurice Duper (OLB), John Clements (FS).

Defensive Starters Returning (8): Dino Vasso (DB), Hugo Souza (LB), Brian McNally (DE), Jordan Long (DT), Steve Young (DL), Kevin Peters (DE), Sean Ware (LB), Ryan Hinds (DB).

Specialists Starters Returning (0):

Specialists Starters Lost (6): Tom Bishop (PK), Tom Bishop (P), Kevin Decker (H), Matt Parent (LS), Terrance Fox (KR), Mike Boyle (PR).

Recruits (21): Rich Archer (OL/DL), Manny Asam (WR/B), Tyler Brnger (DE/LB), Chris Beranger (RB/DB), Jay Colbert (TE/DE), Steve Collister (LB/FB), Derek Coppola (RB/WR), Kevin Gangelhoff (TE/LB), Chris Houston (WR/DB), Jack Jamerson (DL/OL), Mike MacArthur (P/PK), Sean McCann (DL), Cody Muller (OL/DE), Seamus O'Neill (OL/DL), Sean Regan (DB/WR), Sean Ryan (OL/DL), James Scafate (OL/DL), Nick Schmalhofer (OL/DL), Chris Settian (RB), Jim Vailas (DE), Todd Walker (WR).

Redshirts (22): A.J. DeLago (K), Matt Welch (QB), Josh Vick (QB), Kiah Colbert (FS), Jerome Wilkins (DB), Dontra Peters (WR/DB), Shawn Sweeney (RB), Brandon Lutz (LB), Kenneth Howard (RB), Tyler Sargent (DB), Matt Evans (LB), Chris Zarkoskie (OL), Alan Buzbee (LB), Andrew Drazin (LB), Jared Smith (DL), Josh Lane (OL), Isaiah Martin (OL), Mickey DiLima (OL), Walter McCarthy (OL), Matt McLaughlin (WR), Joey Orlando (WR), Randi Vines (DL).

St. Anselm College is seeking two part-time assistant football coaches for the 2009 season. The duties include coaching a position (offensive/defensive skill positions), assist with recruiting and practice preparation.

This is a 10-month position that includes meals and a $6,000 stipend. There is no tuition remittance available. The pay schedule runs annually from August through May. These positions are open immediately.

Those interested can send a cover letter, resume and references to St. Anselm associate head coach Rob Eggerling at reggerling@anselm.edu. No phone calls please.

University of New Hampshire tight end Scott Sicko (pictured) has been named a 2009 Football Championship Subdivision All-American by Consensus Draft Services.

Sicko, who will be a senior this fall, caught 50 passes for 660 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He has 102 receptions for 1,289 yards and 13 TDs in his three-year college career.

College: UNH gridders will face change >> Portsmouth Herald

University of New Hampshire strength and conditioning coach Paul Chapman will be available to conduct strength-and-conditioning camps for football this summer at high schools throughout New Hampshire.

Chapman and the UNH strength staff will establish safe and practical methods for strength and conditioning, teach proper warm-up and flexibility training, instruct players on the proper mechanics for speed enhancement and address basic nutrition.

These camps will be available to players in grades 7 through 12. There is a fee of $20 per athlete and a minimum of 20 athletes are required.

To arrange a date and time, contact Chapman at (603) 862-4081.

Roger Brown
nhfootballlreport.com

University of New Hampshire recruits Jay Colbert and Chris Houston are among the players who will represent Pennsylvania in next month's Big 33 Football Classic.

The Pennsylvania all-stars will face the Ohio all-stars June 20 at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pa. Pennsylvania has a 9-7 edge in the series.

Colbert, a 6-foot-1, 233-pound defensive end, played at Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, Pa. Houston, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound defensive back, played for Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Pa. Houston played wide receiver and linebacker in high school 

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

When Plymouth State University coach Paul Castonia (pictured) took a look at his team during spring practice, he saw a lot of holes that need to be filled.

The biggest hole is in the offensive backfield, where the Panthers must replace last year's starting tailback (Jeff Mack), starting quarterback (John DeMarco) and starting fullback (Brandon Clough). Mack set a school record by rushing for 1,779 yards last season, when he averaged 6.3 yards per carry. He gained more the 200 yards in a game four times, and finished the season with 20 touchdowns.

"Our entire starting backfield has graduated," Castonia said. "That and tight end are our two biggest areas of concern."

Castonia said J.J. Brooks and Alex Sobolov -- both of whom played high school football in New Hampshire -- will likely compete for the starting quarterback job. Sobolov played at Goffstown, and Brooks played for Winnacunnet. Both will be juniors next season.

Brooks will change positions. He played wide receiver last season and led the team in receiving with 18 catches for 476 yards.

"(Brooks) has progressed and he's matured," Castonia said.

The offensive line will be built around the Vahey brothers, Mike and Matt. Both played for Pinkerton Academy and will be seniors next season. Dover's Zac Duval, who will also be a senior in the fall, is another player who will provide experience on the offensive line.

"We have more returners there than any other position I mentioned," Castonia said.

Defensively, the Panthers will have some new faces on the defensive line. Defensive linemen Ryan Harrington (Winnacunnet) and Justin Jarvis (Monadnock) were each seniors last season.

"They each played for four seasons and played a lot of snaps there," Castonia said. "On defense, that's the biggest hole we have to fill."

Aaron Getz has been moved from tight end to defensive line. Castonia said there's depth at linebacker and three of four starters return in the defensive backfield.

Plymouth State, which wrapped up spring practice last week, finished 10-2 last season. The Panthers beat Maine Maritime in the New England Football Conference's championship game, but lost to Cortland State in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

 "(Spring practice) was good," Castonia said. "It's a lot of fundamentals. We're just trying to get better at what we do."

College: Kelly among top offensive minds >> Nashua Telegraph

College: UNH's Chandler overcomes injury >> Portsmouth Herald

Junior quarterback Alex Jenny completed 13-of-21 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns Saturday to help his team to a 21-6 victory in Dartmouth's Green-White scrimmage on Memorial Field.

Jenny's TD throws covered 8 yards to freshman Garrett Babb and 13 yards to junior Niles Murphy, who somersaulted over a defender for the score. Junior Rob Mitchelson (13-yard run) and freshman Nick Schwieger (1-yard run) scored the game's other touchdowns.

Freshman tight end John Gallagher topped the receivers with six catches for 85 yards. Freshman Michael Reilly caught three passes for 21 yards. Murphy also had three receptions.

Mitchelson led the ground game with 67 yards and one TD on 13 carries. Sophomore T.J. Cameron carried nine times for 43 yards. Schwieger carried the ball 14 times for 34 yards and one TD.

Sophomore defensive end Matt Oh and sophomore defensive tackle Lane Shipley each made a game-high seven tackles. Oh also had a sack and a tackle for loss. Freshman linebacker Royce Egeolu, freshman linebacker Aaron Limonthas and junior linebacker Marlon Alebiosu each had six stops. Sophomore defensive end Charles Bay had five tackles, two sacks and a number of quarterback hurries. Senior corner Chris Burns had also had five tackles.

Sophomore defensive back David Johnson intercepted a pass, and freshman defensive tackle Eddie Smith recovered a fumble.

Freshman kicker Foley Schmidt converted all three of his extra-point attempts.

Dartmouth will open its season at home against Colgate on Sept. 19.

University of New Hampshire defensive back Ryan Hinds was selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with the sixth pick in the second round (13th overall) of Saturday's Canadian Football League college draft.

Hinds, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior, still has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining. The 22-year-old native of Toronto, Ontario, recorded 53 tackles (36 solo) in 13 games last season for the Wildcats. He tied for the team lead with five interceptions, which he returned for 218 yards and one touchdown.

Hinds lettered in basketball and track as well as football at North Toronto C.I. If Hinds joins the Tiger-Cats he could be reunited with former UNH star receiver David Ball, who signed with the team on April 9.

The Montreal Gazette reported Saturday that the Montreal Alouettes were considering drafting Hinds, although the paper noted that the UNH junior was considering enrolling in medical school.

The Alouettes are no stranger to former Wildcat standouts, as both quarterback Ricky Santos and safety Etienne Boulay are currently on the Montreal roster. Ball was also a member of the Alouettes for a brief time in 2008.